CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE F CO
TELNO 2864
OF 261125Z SEPTEMBER 90
CONFIDENTIAL
055706
MDHIAN 1251
STRICTLY PERSONAL FOR MCLAREN, DUSS FROM GOVERNOR
YOUR TELNO 1756: GULF CRISIS: BURDEN SHARING
AS YOU RIGHTLY GUESSED, THIS COULD BE A VERY DIFFICULT ISSUE TO HANDLE LOCALLY. THE FALL-OUT FROM THE CONTRIBUTION MADE TO THE FALKLANDS FUND IS NOT A HAPPY PRECEDENT. NOR IS ALL THE SCRATCHINESS, AND POLITICAL ILL-WILL, GENERATED BY THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE FUNDING OF THE DEFENCE COSTS AGREEMENT. THE OTHER MONEY ISSUE WHICH AROUSES BITTER PASSION HERE IS EXPENDITURE ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE (OUR DOLLARS 1.5 BILLION IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND A FURTHER DOLLARS 637 MILLION ESTIMATED FOR THIS FINANCIAL YEAR). THIS IS SEEN AS AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM WHERE HONG KONG HAS HAD TO FOOT THE BILL, WITH THE UNITED NATIONS, IN THE SHAPE OF UNHCR, OWING HONG KONG DOLLARS 110 MILLION ALREADY AND PROBABLY A FURTHER DOLLARS 310 MILLION THIS FINANCIAL YEAR, AND WITH LESS THANKS THAN DESERVED GOING TO HMG FOR THE FUNDS THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING. YOU WILL BE ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE POPULIST LINE TAKEN BY MARTIN LEE ET AL THAT HMG SHOULD FOOT THE WHOLE BILL.
2.
HOWEVER UNATTRACTIVE AN ASPECT OF HONG KONG CHARACTER THESE DISPUTES ABOUT MONEY MAY SEEM, PARTICULARLY FROM AFAR, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT A FORMAL REQUEST FROM HMG OR THE AMERICANS FOR A CONTRIBUTION TO GULF COSTS WILL RE-STIR ALL THIS MUD. FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, WITH WHICH YOU WILL BE FAMILIAR, HONG KONG PEOPLE DO NOT SEE THEMSELVES AS A INDEPENDENT ACTOR ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE WITH A VOICE IN IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL GATHERINGS SUCH AS THE UN. THEY OFTEN RESENT THEIR POWERLESSNESS, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO THEIR OWN FUTURE, AND ARE ALL TOO LIKELY TO LOOK ASKANCE AT SUGGESTIONS THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE ON SOME OF THE BURDENS OF BEING AN INTERNATIONAL PLAYER WITHOUT HAVING BEEN ABLE TO GET THE BENEFITS.
3.
THAT SAID, I CAN SEE THAT, FROM A WIDER PERSPECTIVE, THERE POLITICAL ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF HONG KONG BEING SEEN TO BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE. ONE IMPORTANT FACTOR IN OUR CONSIDERATION OF
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